If you want to try something different for Advent this year, Bethlehem's Closet -- A Reunion of Grace is a great resource that provides congregations with an intriguing learning experience. It's a unique series of five monologues telling the fascinating stories, warts and all, of the women mentioned in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus. Donald Neidigk believes that the embarrassing events in some of these women's lives are important for us to know, since they demonstrate that Jesus was born into an imperfect family, with secrets in the closet, just like you and me. And that makes him a sympathetic Savior -- exactly what we need. So even though the shepherds and wise men may be more typical of the season's characters, Bethlehem's Closet -- A Reunion of Grace offers a refreshing way to celebrate Christ's birth. Each monologue comes with a children's message (using easily obtained objects to reinforce the lesson) and a convenient order of worship. The monologues examine these women: - Tamar -- A Wronged Widow - Rahab -- A Former Prostitute - Ruth -- A Moabite Convert - Bathsheba -- A Violated Wife - Mary -- A Young Mother Donald H. Neidigk is a graduate of New Mexico State University (B.S.) and Denver Seminary (M.Div.), with additional graduate study at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is currently the pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, and also serves as the Circuit Counselor for the Sandia South Circuit of the Rocky Mountain District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Neidigk is the author of The Gifts of Lent and Conversations With the Savior (CSS).

“Matt Rees has taken a complex world of culture clash and suspicion and placed upon it humanity.”—David Baldacci Omar Yussef has taught history in Bethlehem for decades. When a favorite former student, a member of the Palestinian Christian minority, is arrested for collaborating with the Israelis in the killing of a Palestinian guerrilla—a transgression with an inevitable death sentence—Omar is sure he has been framed. When Omar begins to suspect the head of the Bethlehem al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the true collaborator, he and his family are threatened, but since no one else will stand up to the violent Martyrs Brigades who hold power over the city, it is up to him to investigate.

On Monday, 8:15 a.m., August 6, 1945, the world changed forever. In the single largest act of destruction ever initiated by humans, a bomb with the equivalent force of 20,000 tons of TNT shattered Hiroshima, killing tens of thousands of civilians, people who had become used to the American war planes flying overhead, planes that were purposely not dropping bombs on their city, to the point where the rush to the bomb shelters had become lackadaisical, and the normal activities continued with little interruption – getting the children up and off to school, opening the many small retail stores for the daily customers, perhaps stopping at a local café for morning coffee or tea, perhaps joining in on the group exercise classes. This is the precise instant we entered the postmodern world, one where the easy truths of centuries no longer applied. Speculative Fiction projects real possibilities beyond the now shattered assumptions, moving through marginalized fictional landscapes – science fiction, fantasy, horror, weird fiction, supernatural fiction, superhero comics, graphic novels, and movies, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, Cyber Punk, the New Wave, as well as related static, motion, and virtual arts, including everything from graphic novels to video games.

With her beloved charm and wit, New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Boyle brings to life a heartwarming story of empowerment, redemption, and the joy of finding friendship. Even during the holidays. Madeline Drake is on the verge of stardom when an accident on a snowy Wyoming road sends her careening a century into the past. Landing in the quaint town of Bethlehem, she discovers a place that operates by its own set of rules and the oddest gathering of lost souls ever collected. This quirky, small town, with its currency of wishes and second chances, has only one rule—you have until Christmas Eve to prove your worth before you can leave. Having never been much for rules, Madeline begins an out-of-control campaign to get home immediately and regain her modern life. But to her dismay—and then utter amazement—her plans become entwined with that of the town’s proper postmistress, Ninny Minch, and the even more scalding, Savannah Clarke, a widow hiding behind a wall of guilt and grief. Now Madeline must assist these two unlikely women unravel the lies that have left them in knots for decades. Helping anyone other than herself doesn’t come easily to Madeline, but as these fragile new bonds of friendship grow, she finds those threads of trust and acceptance, once woven, may be strong enough to unpack even the most closely guarded secrets. Even a few of her own. For fans of Debbie Macomber, Evie Woods and Barbara Davis, O Little Town of Bethlehem makes for an enchanting winter read on a cold, snowy night, as well as the perfect December book club pick.

Meet Arlene Santana, a vibrant wife and young grandmother whose life suddenly takes a confusing and often laughable turn into a new reality framed by a severe brain injury. As one holiday after another speeds by, Arlene takes comfort in the amusing old people who surround her in the rehabilitation center and one special friend who relates well to Arlene. But when will her husband, whose love is more real to her than anything, come to visit her? Treasure this Christmas novella from bestselling author Lori Copeland that demonstrates the healing power of true love.